I was excited about how little we had packed (one large suitcase, one smaller (large carry-on sized), and a purse), but it felt strange. Still - no roof bag to deal with, no rental car size worries, no collecting and then juggling (by myself) 3 or 4 suitcases, 2 carseats, 2 carseat bags, a double stroller, a double stroller bag and 2 toddlers/preschoolers while waiting for Zach to bring said rental car. In an age when you can't leave anything out of sight, so you have to push it all along together. I've gotten quite good at the charade, but I can't say I was disappointed to give it up. :)
The biggest question that morning was whether or not to skip my customary pre-trip full-calorie Mountain Dew. I hadn't had one in weeks, you know. If you're wondering, I did skip it. I know, I'm totally awesome at the whole willpower thing. That's why I'm writing this to you (editor's note: originally written on May 16) while sitting at the community center in jeans and a sweatshirt, because there was absolutely NOTHING I could do to convince myself to get back in the swing of working out.
At about 4:50am, we started changing the girls quietly in their beds. We knew there was a 0% chance they'd sleep any more that morning, but didn't feel the need to wake them quickly. They stayed relatively chill (and half-asleep) until we took the last chain link down from the hallway, prompting a very excited (though still whispered), "The papers are gone! Now we can go to Disney World!" :)
Some (completely and utterly random) conversations from the youngest travelers...
- "Is our suitcase on top of our car in the black bag?"
- "Did you bring my _____ dress? And my ______ dress? And my ..."
- "We're going to live at the Horsey Saratoga Springs Hotel!"
- "Where are the grey suitcases?"
- "Oh! Oh! There are fountains at Disney World! Little Fountains and Big Fountains!"
- "Can I just sleep until the sun wakes up?" IMMEDIATELY followed by...
- "Hey! Look what I'm doing! I'm exercising!!!!" (complete with arm circles. What?)
Once we were there, things continued to go quite perfectly, really. We were through security with no trouble, hung out at our gate for 10-15 minutes, boarded in the last zone, and had already scored our favorite row of seats together. Hartley and I sat with a "friend" who couldn't have been more than 3 (weird), but once I yanked his seatbelt as tight as it would go and he stopped standing up, all was well. :)
The flight was also smooth, though I found myself already getting quite sleepy. The girls were angels, coloring and writing with their color wonder markers (thank you, Crayola!) and playing with their animal crackers and listening to XM radio (thank you, Airtran!).
As we were landing, they watched out the windows, Hartley offering some instruction: "Watch where you're going, airplane!" Emmersyn wasn't as concerned. Instead, she was just excited: "Look what I see out my window in the world! People! And a maze! [AKA "streets"]".
At MCO, baggage claim was super fast (as always. Because they know what they're doing. Unlike stupid Dayton). Zach showed up for the girls and I with a minivan, prompting me to make sure he isn't becoming a van person (he isn't, it was that or a sedan. I approve.), we dealt with an ugly National issue (lesson learned re: prepaying for fuel), and we were en route to the World shortly after 10am. Hooray!
We arrived at Saratoga Springs after a quick stop at the Hess Station for milk (not even a grocery run this trip!), and were pleasantly surprised to find our room was ready! We were in the Paddock section which we usually love, and even often request. It wasn't ideal this trip because the quiet pool (and therefore some of the parking, the laundry, etc) is under construction so we'd have to go to a different section for those amenities, but we weren't about to argue with a ready room - so we took it happily and headed to our temporary home to settle in. But not before Emmersyn and Hartley got measured in Mickey stickers...
The girls were very sleepy, so I worked quickly while they explored. If you'd like to start keeping track, Hartley had two bruises on her head (symmetrical, at least) within the first 90 minutes. Off to a great start!
For lunch we hit up Artist's Palette at the hotel, but it was getting late so we just split a meal. After all, we had a buffet waiting for us in just a few hours!
After lunch, the girls napped while we walked around the hotel. It had been a while since either of us had been to our home resort, and Zach had actually spent very little time there. We love the beautiful grounds, and the day was gorgeous. Hot, but not at all humid. A nice breeze made it just perfect, and we were so glad to be there together!
When the girls woke up (after about an hour), we freshened up and changed them into their Minnie costumes, and headed to say hello to the Magic Kingdom!
- "I'm going to see Minnie and show her my beautiful dress that matches her!"
- "I see Epcot!!! Is Epcot by the Magic Kingdom?"
We snagged an excellent diamond parking spot at the TTC and were underway within minutes.
Thanks to the new Meet & Greet area, there was only a 5 minute wait to see Mickey! Boy are we glad we decided to go in, because we got a very special visit with he and Minnie, and some great interaction between Minnie and our little Minnies!
After, the wait for the princesses was only a shocking 10 minutes. We gave the girls a choice between seeing them and doing something else, and their response was even more shocking than the wait time - they chose to skip the princesses and ride "it's a small world"! Of course... when we got there, it was too busy and we didn't let them ride. Bad mama and dada! :( We felt terrible, and Emmersyn and Hartley were definitely bummed... but understood (in a somewhat reasonable amount of time ;)) that we'd ride it first thing the next morning. Barring any technical difficulties. (C'mon Disney, don't let me down!)
Instead, we got a Sweet Cream Cheese pretzel (you know we love 'em!) and decided on a ride on the Carousel of Progress. Hartley's anxiety was at an all-time high, and she lost her mind simply entering the ride. She made it through and hopefully had a bit of increased trust when it came to Zach and I telling her about rides/attractions, but it looked like it was going to be a very interesting week!
As quickly as we had come, it was time to get on the monorail and leave the MK for the Contemporary. We were actually seated relatively quickly at Chef Mickey's (hey, there's a first time for everything!), and dinner was a great time as always. The food was good, service adequate, characters pretty good... and the girls, completely adorable. Plus, I think it's worth the price of admission to eat at the only place left on property still serving Ken's Honey Mustard. I'm only partly joking.
After much debate (both before our trip and on our first day), we decided to buy an autograph book for each of the girls. I had intended to make them special ones when they finally asked for them (and had avoided them on previous trips until the darn Mr. Potato Head accessories finally brought them up! ;)), but for reasons I won't bore you with here (unless you're a reader or two who will ask, and we can chat elsewhere) I think the WDW-purchased ones were actually a much, much better choice for us. (This being said even after I spent hours during naps a couple of years ago designing pages on photoshop). I know, surprised me too, but I'm so, so glad I did! :) Anyway.... the girls loved them. Still do. Hartley was the deciding factor in whether or not to get them to begin with, and I'm glad to report we know our kids a bit still. ;)
Stuffed and exhausted, we took the monorail to the TTC and drove back to the hotel. (Well past) Time for some sleep!
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